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Cavaliers fire coach J.B. Bickerstaff despite some progress and getting to second round of playoffs
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FILE - Cleveland Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff shouts at his team during the first half of Game 6 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Orlando Magic, Friday, May 3, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. Bickerstaff was fired as Cleveland's coach on Thursday, May 23, 2024, despite leading the Cavaliers through an injury-ravaged season and into the second round of the NBA playoffs. - photo by AP Photo/John Raoux, File
CLEVELAND (AP) — J.B. Bickerstaff was fired as Cleveland's coach on Thursday despite leading the Cavaliers through an injury-ravaged season and into the second round of the NBA playoffs. Bickerstaff's dismissal came one week after the Cavs were eliminated in five games by the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Cleveland played the final two games of the series without All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell, who played with a left knee injury for more than two months before he hurt his calf in the closing minutes of Game 4 against the Celtics.